The Horseman Known As Zorro
by Wai-Jing Waraugh
Summary: Based on the 'Highwayman' poem, retold as the story of El Zorro - with an appropriate new ending, of course. A follow-up to 'The Wayside Pimpernel'; yet another poetic mash-up of Alfred Noyes' verse and classic pulp fiction. Based on the novel by Johnston McCulley, inspired by the WD series.


_Author's note: first, an explanation - which necessitates an explanation behind the explanation._

 _Some time ago, I did a rewrite of Alfred Noyes' famous poem_ The Highway Man _, with Baroness Orczy's equally-famous hero Sir Percy Blakeney/The Scarlet Pimpernel taking the eponymous character's place. I created a happier ending for it, that befitted the Pimpernel's daring resourcefulness. It's called '_ The Wayside Pimpernel', _look it up among my stories if you are interested; you'll find a full explanation of how the fic came to be over there. It_ _seemed to go down pretty well with readers; I'm quite proud of it, if I may boast as much._

 _Fast forward to now: I have recently become a fan of the 1957 Walt Disney tv series of Zorro, and so decided to read the original novel by Johnston McCulley. The more I read, the more I thought: "This would make the ideal basis for a new rendition of_ The Highwayman _\- but I already did that with the Pimpernel!" I then figured "eh, why not do it again? Though I changed the ending for Sir Percy, I imagine that Don Diego would handle the situation in quite a different way, so I needn't repeat myself - nor Mr Noyes - too much_ _. Besides, it will be fun!"_

 _And here in the result. I once again hope that I didn't mangle the meter too much. Somehow there ended up being a lot of dialogue, which was tricky to fit into a poem format. It only occurred to me after I finished writing that the ostler never gets punished for his betrayal, nor does the one in my Pimpernel version; considered them both soundly whipped by the heroes in between scenes._

 _Though the tv series starring Guy Williams was what originally inspired me (I took the story title from the opening song's lyrics), I mostly stuck to the McCulley book version. This is because the Disney version didn't give Diego a single prominent love interest, making Lolita from the novels (and the anime) best suited to stand in for Bess the landlord's daughter; and because, despite how great a villain Monastario was, I doubt the Disney Diego would treat him as the book/my version_ _treats Ramón - if he was going to do so, he would have struck the lance through Monastario's chest instead of his cape when he called his father a wild boar and threatened to spear him! Since there is no Zorro category under 'Books', I'm leaving it here in the 'TV Shows' section._

 _I refrained from having the guards kiss Lolita when they tied her up, as this proved to be Zorro's beserker-button in the novel - as_ _Ramón found out!_ _I don't know much about the FAM/NW version of Zorro, but fans of the series are free to substitute Victoria/Felipe/Risendo/Ramone/De Soto in the appropriate places as they see fit._

 _This adaption is intended in good fun, with no disrespect meant to any of the source materials. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

 _~ W.J._

* * *

 **The Horseman Known as Zorro**

 **PART ONE**

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.  
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.  
The road was a ribbon of moonlight along California's shore,  
And El Zorro came riding-  
Riding- riding-  
Señor Zorro came riding, up to the old inn door.

He'd a cordobés on his forehead, a pistol tucked in his sash,  
A cloak tied round his shoulders, blown back by his horse's dash.  
It flowed like black wind behind him. A dagger was strapped to his thigh.  
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,  
The spurs at his heels a-twinkle,  
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard.  
He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred.  
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there  
But Don Carlos' black-eyed daughter,  
Lolita, the _ranchero's_ daughter,  
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked  
Where Juan the ostler listened. His face was white and peaked.  
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,  
Visions of pesos danced in his eyes-  
 _I'll claim the reward when the bandit dies!_  
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the masked man say-

"One kiss, sweet Señorita! There are wrongs I must set right;  
Men who would raid the mission will soon feel my blade this night!  
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,  
Then look for me by moonlight,  
Watch for me by moonlight,  
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

He rose upright in the stirrups. He scarce could reach her hand,  
But she loosened her hair in the casement. His face burnt like a brand  
As the black cascade of perfume caught him in its soft caress;  
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,  
(O, sweet black waves in the moonlight!)  
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped for Los Angeles.

* * *

 **PART TWO**

He did not come in the dawning. He did not come at noon;  
And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon,  
When the road was a _dama's_ ribbon looping California's shore,  
A lancer troop came marching-  
Marching- marching-  
The _presidio's_ guards came marching, up to the old inn door.

And at their head there rode a man with brass pinned to coat,  
A sword upon his hip, and silver braid laced at his throat.  
This was the man whom dons and peons all alike despised:  
The officer-in-charge, Ramón  
The _pueblo's_ commandate, Ramón  
Capitan Ramón, who gazed on Lolita with lustful eyes.

Some guards sat polishing swords; others filled their guns with lead.  
The capitan gagged Lolita, and bound her to the foot of the bed.  
Two men knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!  
There was death at every window;  
And hell at one dark window;  
For Lolita saw, through her casement, the road that he would ride.

They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest.  
They had bound a musket beside her, with the muzzle beneath her breast!  
"Now, keep good watch!" they guffawed at her. She heard the masked man say-  
Look for me by moonlight;  
Watch for me by moonlight;  
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!

She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!  
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!  
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years  
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,  
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,  
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

The tip of one finger touched it. She strove no more for the rest.  
Up, she stood up to attention, with the muzzle beneath her breast.  
She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;  
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;  
Blank and bare in the moonlight;  
And the blood of her veins, in the moonlight, throbbed to her love's refrain.

Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot - they heard it; Tornado's hoofs ringing clear!  
Lolita cringed, as Ramón's face lit up with a vengeful leer.  
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,  
El Zorro came riding—  
Riding—riding—  
The lancers looked to their priming! She stood up, straight and still.

Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!  
Nearer he came and nearer. Her face was like a light.  
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath-  
But there, in the silver moonlight,  
The saddle gleamed bare in the moonlight-  
The empty saddle, from which a skilled rider had shortly left.

* * *

 **PART THREE**

Several soldiers gave outcry, as a man in a pitch-black suit  
Appeared upon the rooftop, and gave them a mocking salute.  
Heedless to the scrape of swords and the click of flintlocks,  
He clambered over the slippery tile,  
Paused to give them a cunning smile;  
Then disappeared from the rooftop, quick and agile as a fox.

"Sergeant!" cried the capitan, "Take your men out and search!  
Scour the entire _pueblo_ , from the plaza to the church!  
The fox is hiding here somewhere; we'll seize him by the tail,  
And hang him upon the gallows-  
We'll yet hang him from the gallows!  
But you, my sergeant, will swing on the gallows if you fail!"

The sergeant gulped, then gave a nod and led his men outdoor.  
Ramón played with his sword-hilt as he anxiously paced the floor.  
He turned on poor Lolita, who was still trussed up like bait:  
"Señorita, you must be bored,  
And sad at having been ignored.  
Perhaps you'd like to share a kiss with me while we both wait?"

He removed the gag from her lips; she protested in vain.  
She struggled again to free her hands, but only cried out in pain.  
He reached for her black tresses, bent to kiss a lock of her hair;  
When lo! there came the crack of a whip-  
The window shattered beneath its tip-  
And through a shower of glass, they saw El Zorro standing there!

"Poltroon! Have you no manners?" the masked man growled angrily.  
"I treat a lady with respect, bandido though I may be!"  
"An outlaw has no right to preach," the capitan replied.  
"Come, you wretch, cross swords with me!  
Let's have a duel, and we shall see  
How many times I can run you through before your noose is tied!"

Both men drew their rapiers, and tersely declared 'en garde!'  
But though Ramón was skilled, he found all his attacks were barred.  
Zorro pressed his advantage, darting in with blinding pace.  
His sword was a silver lightning flash-  
He struck three times in a single slash,  
Carving his 'Z' upon the flesh of the commandante's face!

Ramón jumped back with a cry, hand pressed to his bleeding chin,  
Then lunged again; the rapiers clashed, raising a frightful din.  
Toledo steel glittered brightly, as the duellists circled round;  
Until, at last, the worthy blade  
Of the honourable renegade  
Passed through the capitan - and he slumped, lifeless, to the ground.

"Lolita, my love!" He cut the cord that was wound round her hand.  
"Forgive the bloodshed; his insults were more than I could stand."  
She trembled, as he kissed the fingers worn red by the rope.  
"Señor, worry no more for me;  
You mustn't miss this chance to flee!  
If you were captured now, it would mean death to all my hopes."

"Fair one," said he, "I have no wish to ever leave your side;  
What is more, there is not a one direction I could ride  
With every lancer in the _cuartel_ looking out for me.  
I've killed a man, and must atone;  
But if I go to death alone,  
At least your wondrous beauty is the last sight I shall see."

He scarce had finished speaking; the corpse had not yet cooled,  
When soldiers shamefacedly returned to confess they'd been fooled.  
They tramped into the room, then stopped stock still within the door.  
They stared at the red blade, still drawn,  
Which had but moments ago shorn  
A 'Z' upon the cheek of the dead man stretched on the floor.

* * *

 **PART FOUR**

"Murder!" cried the sergeant. "Lancers, come avenge your chief!"  
All drew their swords, though their expressions bore more wrath than grief.  
Men hurried to position, until their ranks did surround  
The single black-clad, mask-eyed fox,  
The hemmed-in, closely-cornered fox,  
The hunted fox, who found on every side of him a hound.

He faced the men down bravely; when a new sound reached his ear.  
All looked out at the moonlit road, upon which soon appeared  
A coach, that drove at frantic speed right through the _pueblo_ 's gate,  
And drew up in front of the inn.  
On seeing it, Zorro wore a grin  
And said: "Apologies, Señores; my guests are a little late!"

Two men stepped from the carriage: the first, a respected don  
Who worked a wealthy rancho, with his lazy poet son.  
Alejandro de la Vega briskly strode into the inn,  
Accompanied by the governor,  
The Californian governor!  
In his august presence, the judicial hearing could begin.

"Señores," said His Excellency, "Lower your weapons down!  
You can't arrest a man who has been endorsed by the crown.  
I have here a pardon, bearing the King of Spain's own seal;  
This man is bandido no more,  
You'll not consider him outlaw-  
In fact, we regard him as the saint of El Camino Real!"

Señor Zorro laughed out loud: "Good sir, you're far too kind!  
I scarce can believe that my pardon has really been signed.  
Though my acts were criminal, they were not unduly cruel.  
While evil reigned, I had to act,  
To be the good this _pueblo_ lacked;  
But I'll hang up my cape when we have an honest alcalde's rule."

"That is what you have, Señor!" the governor declared.  
"I trust Don Alejandro here to be both just and fair."  
"Good sirs," the old don said, "I swear I won't abuse my role;  
Should I ever betray the crown,  
Or do something that harms this town,  
I beg, Señor Zorro, heap retribution on my soul!"

"That's fine!" the former outlaw said. "I trust you will do well;  
But it is my own soul that seeks its salvation from Hell.  
Though my actions speak for themselves, I would make them clear:  
With this sword, I have spilled blood.  
I killed the capitan in cold blood,  
Because that villain sought to harm the girl whom I hold dear."

The governor spoke: "Señor Ramón brought about his own fate.  
We'd try and execute him, if it weren't already too late.  
You are a fox with fangs, it's true, and not a harmless lamb;  
But given the honour you show,  
I suspect you're a _caballero_.  
Is it true you're a gentleman?" Zorro bowed: "Indeed, I am."

"The law won't persecute you, then - nay, it applauds your task!  
So long as you humbly consent to now remove your mask."  
El Zorro laughed: "Dear governor, even I wouldn't dare  
flaunt your request!" He raised a hand  
And drew away the black silk band,  
Revealing his uncovered face to their collective stare.

* * *

 **PART FIVE**

Don Alejandro gave a gasp: "Diego! My dear boy!"  
He embraced his son, his weathered old face streaked with tears of joy.  
"How can it be that my lazy son, who never dares to fight,  
Who only ever wants to read,  
Who ignores people in their need,  
Has secretly been riding as our saviour every night?"

Diego laughed. "Dear father mine, I beg you to forgive  
This convoluted falsehood that I've long been forced to live.  
I must confess that, for some time, I have shamelessly lied;  
I could only perform my task  
If you didn't know who wore the mask,  
So I claimed to have no use for swords, nor energy to ride."

"In truth, I learned to fence with a swordmaster while in Spain,  
And trained myself to ride a horse over roughest terrain.  
By day, I played a useless fop who only cared for poems;  
And so ensure no one would know  
It was me who rode out as Zorro,  
And acted without consequence as I protected our homes."

"But it is dear Lolita by whom I have done most wrong.  
She loves a black-clad phantom who has made her wait so long;  
Only to spurn my advances when I wore my other clothes!  
Pity me sirs, I've lost her heart!  
For she only yearns for me in part;  
There is a side of me she loves, another that she loathes!"

Lolita shook her head. "Señor, you had confused me well!  
To love you has been heaven, but has also been my Hell.  
It worried me terribly when I thought I had begun  
To fall deep in love with two men;  
But now I see that those two men  
Were never two men - in fact there was only ever one!"

He kissed her there before them all. " _Querida_ , you give me life!  
These two men that I am both long to have you as their wife.  
After my deception, I scarce hope you'll have me still;  
Yet I shall ask, on bended knee:  
Lolita, will you marry me?"  
"Dearest Diego," said she, " _mi amor_ \- of course I will!"

And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,  
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,  
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight along California's shore,  
El Zorro comes riding-  
Riding- riding-  
Señor Zorro comes riding, to the hacienda's door.

He hands the reins to Bernado, and enters the sala to greet  
His father, Don Alejandro, who has risen to his feet  
To see him safe; and then retires, leaving him alone there  
With his young wife, Lolita,  
The now-married Señorita,  
Who tips back his hat, removes his mask, and runs her hands through his hair.


End file.
